Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos!
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional
astronomer.

July 17, 1995 Barsoom Picture Credit: NASA,Viking Project

Explanation:
"Yes, I have been to Barsoom again ..." begins John Carter in Edgar Rice
Burroughs' 1913 science fiction classic
"The Gods of Mars".
In Burroughs'
novels describing Carter's adventures on Mars, "Barsoom" is the local
name for the red planet. Long after Burroughs' stories were published,
Mars has continued to capture the imagination of science fiction writers
as a popular location for extraterrestrial adventures.
This dramatic picture of a crescent Mars was taken by NASA's
Viking 2
spacecraft in 1976.